Return on Investment (ROI) is an important measure for comparing the earnings and costs for students who attend specific colleges and universities. This metric attempts to weigh the cost of investing in college now against the potential gains over time of having a postsecondary credential.

Since 2019, we have analyzed data from the College Scorecard on earnings and debt from thousands of postsecondary institutions and programs. Our research shows that college typically pays off, but the return on investment varies by many factors: